Origins
by Kali Gargoyle
Summary: A series of prequels to NT:TNM I came up with. Please read & review.
1. The Mutation

Origins

Origins

By Kali Gargoyle

***

Chapter one: The Mutation

***

The sewers of New York could be dangerous. There were few humans who would venture into the darkness without a government paycheck. It was home to rats and other stray animals. One lone rat roamed the tunnels in search of food, and shelter from the storm that had begun to flood the sewers.

This rat was named Splinter, once the pet of ninja master Hamato Yoshi, who had been murdered not too long ago. Now, the rat had to find a home alone, scavenging the sewers for food.

He walked around a waterfall created by an open manhole. He paused as tires screeched above him and a tire bounced over the open hole. There were more breaks and a crash, then something fell down the hole.

Splinter ran to take cover from the flying glass. When he emerged, he saw five baby turtles crawling through the broken glass and green ooze. He spied a large coffee can and tried herding them towards it. He got four in, but when he turned back for the fifth he saw it crawling too close to the edge. Before he could reach it, it fell down into the flooding sewer water and was washed away. He tried to follow but the current moved too fast, and the tiny turtle vanished around a corner.

Splinter returned to the coffee can and watched over the turtles until they had all fallen asleep.

***

The next morning Splinter was awakened by a soft nudge. He opened his eyes and was startled by a large turtle.

__

Large? He looked around. The four baby turtles he had found the night before had now doubled in size. He noticed that he, too, was growing. Things that had been random nonsense before now took on a new sense of clarity. Especially Hamato Yoshi's ninja training Splinter had mimicked from his cage.

Splinter picked up a nail and banged it against the side of the coffee can. The four turtles lifted their heads towards him.

"We are…changing," he said in broken English. "I will…care…for you."

***

As the weeks passed, they all mutated into more humanoid forms. Splinter managed to steal a kimono for himself from a Salvation Army truck, along with an old art book he planned to use to teach the young turtles to read.

A month after that fateful accident he decided to give his adopted sons names. He took the art book and four strips of material and called his sons into the center of their lair.

"My sons, today you will be given names, and tomorrow I will begin teaching you the art of the ninja." He took the blue scrap and opened to a random page in the book. He tied the fabric around one of his son's arms. "You will be known as Leonardo."

Another snatched up the orange material. "I want this color!"

Splinter smiled and turned the page. "You are Michaelangelo." The young turtle grinned and tried to tie the band himself. Splinter helped him, then picked up the purple strip. He flipped towards the end of the book.

He knelt beside the third turtle, who was sitting on the floor reading a textbook that had fallen into their lair last week and landed on his head. He'd been trying to read it even since. He regarded Splinter with quiet curiosity. "Donatello."

"Raphael."

Splinter turned to his last pupil, who stood over the book with the red fabric tied around his head like a bandanna. Splinter nodded and closed the book.


	2. Enter The Foot

Origins: Chapter two: Enter The Foot

Origins: Chapter two: Enter The Foot

***

"Come on, Mikey."

Michaelangelo took his place beside his brother and surveyed the scene below them. "We have to get home, Raph."

"Shh, look." Raphael pointed down at a black van filled with unmarked boxes. A few teenagers moved back and forth from the neighboring stores. Several men in black ninja uniforms stood guard. "We should stop them."

"What?" Mike cried.

"Yeah!" Raph leapt off the roof and traveled down the fire escape silently. Mike followed after him. Raph came up behind one of the uniformed guards and knocked him out. The others stopped and looked.

"What the hell is _that_?"

Mike jumped and took down the guy. "Watch your language! There are kids around."

The kids fled while the ninjas prepared for a fight. Four against two, now. _Too easy_, Raph thought.

***

Leonardo met them at the door. "And where have you two been?"

Raphael glared at him. "Out for some fresh air, that okay with you?"

Leo followed them into their room. "No, it's not. Splinter told us not to leave the lair."

"Don't freak," Mike said, flopping onto the bed on his stomach. "No one saw us."

"Are you sure?"

"Don't worry, Leo," Raph smirked, "it'll give you wrinkles."

***

Not far from the site of the attempted robbery was a large warehouse. Inside, one of the defeated ninja bowed before a tall man in armor.

"You failed," the man spoke.

"Forgive us master," the ninja begged. "Two…creatures interfered."

"Creatures?" Shredder narrowed his eyes.

"Yes, two man sized turtles. They were well trained, and disappeared into the sewers."

Shredder thought for a moment. "Go, find these turtles and bring them here."

***

"We have to follow them, Leo!"

Leonardo set his hand on his brother's shoulder. "We will, Mike, we will. And we will get Master Splinter and Raphael back, too." He spoke into a communicator Donatello had built from old walkie-talkies. "Donnie?"

"I'm still on 'em," Donnie's voice replied. "Is Mike okay?"

"I've got him bandaged up and we're coming to join you."

***

Leonardo picked up a katana from a felled ninja and blocked another. He brought his attacker down with a swift kick and took that sword, too.

"Down here!" Don called.

Mike was busy searching the fallen guard for the keys. Leo noticed two tonfas lying next to the guard and told Mike to take them when they left. He noticed Don had found a long staff. Mike held up the keys with a triumphant grin. Leo grabbed them and started trying them in the locks.

Splinter squinted his eyes against the sudden light.

"Sensei?"

Splinter tried to stand. "Raphael has not awakened."

Don looked over his injured brother. He had a bad bruise on the side of his head and some bad cuts. "Mike, help me here."

Don and Mike carried Raphael, and Splinter leaned on Leonardo. Mike picked up the two tonfas and followed Leo down the hall. They heard someone approaching and ducked into an open doorway, closing it behind them. Don looked around the garage. "There!"

He and Mike dragged Raph to a jeep-like vehicle and carefully laid him in the back seat. Mike and Splinter sat with him, and Leo and Don jumped in front.

Luckily, the keys had been left in the ignition and Don turned them.

Leo jumped at the sound of the engine. "Donnie, when did you learn to drive?"

"In about five seconds. Buckle up!"

They shot straight forward through the garage door, shattering it apart. Dozens of Foot soldiers blocked their path and Don turned sharply to the left. They pulled onto the somewhat empty streets and were gone before the Foot could get to their vehicles.

***

"We cannot return to our home," Splinter said.

Raphael had regained consciousness and was sitting up in the back seat. He had found a pair of sai on the floor of the Hummer and he took procession of them. Don was bandaging his wounds with a first aid kit that had also been in the car.

"Where can we go?" Mike asked.

Raph took a ragged breath. "I know a place." He gently kicked Mike's leg. "Remember the dead subway line we followed last week."

"Yeah!" Mike snapped his fingers. "That place was huge!"

Leo sat next to Splinter. "We'll go back for our things that weren't damaged. Who were they?"

"The Foot clan," Splinter said.

Don looked up. "Wasn't that the group your master belonged to?"

Splinter nodded. "I recognized their leader, the Shredder, as the man who murdered my master Hamato Yoshi and his wife Shen. Oroku Saki."

Leo inhaled sharply. "I don't think we've seen the end of them."

Don closed up the first aid kit. "Well, I want to check this truck for bugs, tracking devices, then we can go down to Mike and Raph's tunnel."

"It ain't a 'tunnel'," Raph snapped. "It used to be a station. We can probably all get our own rooms, to boot."

Don rolled his eyes. "Great, we can celebrate our sweet sixteen with elevator music."


	3. MeiPieh Chi

Origins: Chapter three: MeiPieh Chi

Origins: Chapter three: MeiPieh Chi

***

"MeiPieh, please come away from there."

MeiPieh looked away from the beautiful mirror. "Father, why do I not look like you?"

Chung I pulled his adopted daughter away from the mirror. "It think it is time for us to talk, MeiPieh."

He led her outside, into the garden that grew behind their small home. They sat among the flowers.

"MeiPieh, even though I love you like my own daughter, you are not my child. I believe you are old enough to learn of how I found you."

"Found me?" MeiPieh pulled her sky blue bandanna over her shoulder and twirled the end around her two fingers.

"Yes. Nearly ten years ago, while I was visiting one of my old students in America. She lives in New York and asked if I would like to visit her for a short time. One night, during a terrible storm, we witnessed an accident. A large truck hit an open manhole and crashed."

MeiPieh gasped. "Was anyone hurt?"

Chung I smiled down at her. "No, but a little boy lost his bowl of turtles, and the truck lost a canister of something. They both fell down the hole in the street. A few blocks later we saw a tiny turtle floating in a puddle. I picked it up and we brought it back to her apartment."

"Was that me?"

Chung I nodded. "Yes, MeiPieh, that was you. In the morning, you had grown to fill the small bowl we had put you in. We were amazed and my student suggested that I take you back to China with me. One, because she could not care for you properly in the city, and two, we both sensed the potential in you for magick. Here, you have grown in peace, and are doing very well in your studies."

MeiPieh chewed on the end of her braid. "Who was your student? I think I remember her."

Chung I raised an eyebrow. "Oh, do you now?"

"She…she smelled like lavender."

Chung I laughed. "Yes, she wore it all the time. Why do you want to know about her?"

She looked up shyly. "Well, she's almost like my mother."

Chung I paused. "I suppose she is. Her name was Amelia Cheng. She came to me when she was young, wanting to learn my art. She was very gifted, but only studied with me for five years."

"Then what? Why'd she leave?"

"Didn't you hear the story?" a voice behind them asked. They both turned and stood in one movement. "I moved to New York."

"Amelia." Chung I greeted his old student.

"It's been too long, Chung I." She was not as old as Chung I, only thirty-five, with shoulder length black hair and dark almond eyes. She smiled warmly at MeiPieh, who sniffed and caught a faint scent of lavender. "Hello, MeiPieh."

MeiPieh stepped forward and bowed. "It's an honor to meet you."

Amelia smiled. "And it's wonderful to see you again. You've grown so much."

"How long are you here?" Chung I asked.

"Only for the summer, but I'm afraid I've made no plans as to housing," she smiled mysteriously.

MeiPieh pulled on her father's sleeve. "Can she stay with us? Please?"

Both adults laughed. Chung I took his daughter's hand. "Of course she will, MeiPieh."


	4. The Prophesy

Origins: Chapter three: The Prophesy

Origins: Chapter four: The Prophesy

***

Li-Liang stood in line with his fellow soldiers. He stood tall, trying to impress the commander. The tall dragon paced among the soldiers, hand picking soldiers for the Rank, the emperor's private army.

Li-Liang felt his blood boil as the commander passed him by.

***

Li-Liang punched the tree again. Whenever he was upset, as he was now, he would come out to the woods behind the barracks and beat up a tree or two. He really wanted to send a good right hook to his superior's jaw, but he knew better than that. A tree wouldn't kill him.

A sound made him pause and listen. He twirled around at the sound of a snapping twig, hoping to relieve some of his tension on a living being.

"Li-Liang!"

He paused and relaxed. "Akasuki, what are you doing here?"

The female dragon held up the hem of her skirt as she jogged over to him. "I snuck away as soon as I heard. I'm so sorry, Li'."

Li-Liang turned away. "It's not your fault, 'Suki. I'll just have to try harder next time."

Akasuki came up behind him and circled his waist with her arms. "And as soon as you make it, we can be together."

He tensed and turned around to face her. "Please, Akasuki, you shouldn't be here. If you're caught…"

She giggled. "I can take care of myself." She traced a line down his chest with her finger. "I love it when you get so protective."

He grabbed her hands. "Your family will be worried."

Akasuki rolled her eyes. "My family worries when I sneeze. The curse of being a High Warlord's daughter."

Li-Liang frowned. "Another reason you should not be here. A Warlord's daughter should not waste her time with a common solider." He swung around and hit the tree again. "Sometimes I wonder why you do."

Akasuki smirked and coiled her arm around his. "You know why I do, my darling."

"Not now, 'Suki."

She frowned a moment before running her fingers through his hair.

***

Li-Liang flipped his gold coin between his fingers as he waited for his guide.

"The Oracle will see you now."

Li-Liang was so startled that he almost dropped his payment. He gripped the valuable metal tightly and followed the young dragon girl. She was small, still several years away from the Burning, dressed in dark silk. She led him into a large cavern lit by glowing pools of water with fires floating in them.

Sitting between two of the pyres was a female dragon. She was older than he was, but he could not pin point her age because a shroud shaded her face. She held a leather bag in her hands.

Li-Liang knelt down before her, putting his clenched fist over his heart. "Divine Oracle, I come to seek your advice."

The Oracle reached out a thin arm and Li-Liang placed his gold piece in her palm without meeting her eyes. She placed the coin in the bag and mixed it together with her other coins.

Li-Liang sat cross-legged in front of her, patiently waiting for her to finish her ritual. She turned the bag over and several coins, including his own, rolled along the floor in-between them. After a moment they lay still and the Oracle leaned forward. She folded her hands and examined the patterns.

They meant nothing to Li-Liang, but he knew they meant much to the Oracle. He did not understand what the symbols meant, or how to interpret their positions, but the Oracle did. It's what she had done for the last five hundred years.

She finally spoke, in a low, cold voice. "You are unsatisfied with your current status." Li-Liang nodded. "Because you are meant for greater things," she said.

"I want…" he began but she silenced him with a hand gesture.

"You will rule over all dragons, and the humans will fear your name. You will make many allies, but even more enemies. You will gain what you thought was beyond your grasp, and lose what you thought would always be there."

Li-Liang tried not to show his confusion. _Couldn't she be more specific? _He waited for more, but none came. The young servant tapped him on the shoulder. "You must go now."

***

"That's wonderful!" Akasuki cried upon hearing the Oracle's prediction. Li-Liang wished he could share her enthusiasm.

"It wasn't all good," he reminded her.

She kissed him and danced away past the trees. "My darling, you worry too much. The Oracle said you will rule the dragons, and you will." She stopped and turned, placing her hands on her hips. "But first, we must get rid of the old one."

Li-Liang stared at his beloved Akasuki in shock. "Get rid of him? Are you insane? And he has two sons to follow him."

She touched her fingertips to his lips. "Shush, my darling, I have a plan."

Li-Liang shook his head. "Akasuki, we can't do this, he's our emperor. Besides, how can I claim the throne? I'm not even a Rank solider."

She looked up at him with an expression she knew would melt his doubt. "Trust me, Li-Liang. If the Oracle says it, then it will come to be."

***

Li-Liang walked up to his highest-ranking officer. "Are we ready?"

"Yes, sir. We've surrounded the castle, and can begin with your order."

"Attack at sunset."

Li-Liang returned to his tent. Five years had passed since his trip to the Oracle, and now it was all going to come true in one fateful night. He had left the army five years ago and trained with mercenaries, who he then hired, with Akasuki's donations, to be his army.

He showed no surprise at finding Akasuki reclined back on his cot.

"You should not be here." It seems he was always telling her that, but he meant it more now than ever.

She stood with little difficulty. "Did you really think I could stay away from this?"

Li-Liang sighed. "I do not want you to be a casualty, especially not when you're carrying our child."

Akasuki lifted her chin up. "And what are you going to do about it?"

Li-Liang covered his face with his hands. _Why did she have to be so stubborn?_ He looked into her amber colored eyes and discovered again why he could never tell her no.


	5. Losses and Gains

Origins: Chapter five: Losses and Gains

Origins: Chapter five: Losses and Gains

***

Ji let the cloaked figure pull him along the rocky terrain. They finally stopped and Ji looked behind him at the flaming remains of his home. He could still hear the screams of his mother and father. He could still see the bodies of his brother and sister, and his brother's family. Ji swallowed a lump in his throat. His niece, Ae-Eha was only three, and his sister, Xin hadn't even gone through the Burning.

The cloaked figure touched his shoulder. "I am sorry, Ji."

Ji sniffled. "You could not help them, Dewei."

"Come," the Shinobi said. "You can hide in my village."

They traveled several more miles before reaching a small house tucked against a hillside.

"Lien!" The man called.

A young woman of seventeen exited the house. "Father? What has happened? I did not expect you back from your audience with the emperor until tomorrow."

Dewei entered the house, with Ji following behind him. Lien brought them food and drink, as it was obvious that they had traveled a great distance. They all sat at the kitchen table and Dewei told his daughter of the dragon's rebellion.

***

Akasuki ran her hands over the cool, smooth bed linens. "Oh, Li', this is more than I ever dreamed. And now it's ours."

Li-Liang held the emperor's crown in his hands. "What have I done?"

Akasuki took the crown and placed it on his head. "You have begun your destiny as the king of all dragons, just as the Oracle said." She pulled his arms around her. "And I am your queen."

***

Ji stood by the house as Lien worked in the garden. Dewei had gone away for the week to get supplies and catch up on news of Li-Liang, or Dragon Lord, as he was calling himself now.

Lien stood up with her basket and walked towards the house. She gave Ji a warm smile as she took the vegetables inside.

He had been living with them for over three years now, and he was just now beginning to get over the massacre of his family, with the help of the Shinobi. He was grateful to them for hiding him away from Dragon Lord, and he had come to feel at home here. If not for Dewei and the others, he would not be alive today.

He went inside and sat at the kitchen table. He placed his elbow on the table and rested his chin on his hand, watching Lien chop vegetables. Personally, he wished they had a little more meat in their diet, but he didn't mind much.

Lien was quite striking for a human. Her dark hair was always pulled back in a bun at the base of her neck and she wore simple dresses. She seemed so frail, but if one looked hard enough they could see that she held much strength.

She turned to him with a small smile. "You are going to stare a hole right through me."

Ji chuckled at her subtle warning and looked away. "What news do you think your father will bring?"

"If I knew that he wouldn't have needed to go."

Ji watched a large fly buzz through the kitchen. "You have a point there." His gaze followed the insect of few more seconds before speaking again. "I think your father is becoming suspicious of us."

Lien stopped chopping. "You are the one being too open."

"Maybe we should tell him of our feelings."

Lien thought it over for a moment. "Yes, when he gets back. Perhaps he'll even allow us to be married."

Ji swiped at the fly as it circled him. "Married? Ah, yes, it's one of those human customs."

Lien dropped the vegetables into a large pot. "And I am human."

"But I am not." Ji was paying more attention to the annoying pest than his conversation with Lien, or else he would have seen the distressed look on her face.

***

Dragon Lord glared down at the alchemist with disgust. If there was another dragon who could do the work as well as Wick, Dragon Lord would not hesitate to throw the little pest out the nearest window. But as much as he hated to admit it, Wick was the best.

Dragon Lord clenched his teeth. "Can you, or can you not make an antidote?"

"Not in time, my Lord."

Dragon Lord left the alchemist's workroom in a foul mood. It lightened a bit upon seeing his son, Hitoshi, stabbing at the air with a wooden sword. The light faded as his beloved Akasuki walked into the room. A poison had stolen her radiant beauty. Her bright eyes were dull and she was much too thin for his liking.

Hitoshi dropped his sword. "Mama, you need to be in bed." He took her hand and led her back into the bedroom. It pained Dragon Lord deeply that she had no strength to refuse, even against her six-year-old son.

"Hitoshi, go look after your brother," he said softly.

The young dragon kissed his mother's cheek and went into the adjoining room where he and his brother Jiro slept.

Akasuki did not need to ask the question, she could see it in his eyes. "I'm dead."

Dragon Lord took her in her arms. "Not if I can help it. The human who did this to you is in our dungeon."

Akasuki pressed her head against his shoulder. "He had no antidote."

"But Wick can create one. He's annoying, but he's capable." He began rubbing her back as she started coughing. He felt the warm liquid on his arm, but refused to look.

"Not before I die," she whispered.

"'Suki…"

"I can hear it in your voice, Li', don't lie to me."

***

Dragon Lord turned to his army as the fire burned behind him. "Six years ago I took it upon myself to do what needed to be done, for the good of all dragons. The Oracle said I would rule all dragons, and humans would fear my name."

He turned and watched the flames of the funeral pyre. He saw Hitoshi holding his baby brother, Jiro. His sons. His sons who would grow up without their mother.

"It is time to fulfill the rest of the prophecy."


	6. Into The Glass

Origins: Chapter six: Into The Glass

Origins: Chapter six: Into The Glass

***

Zhen looked over the map laid out in front of her. She had spent all twenty-one years of her life waiting for this moment. The moment they would triumph over the Dragon Lord. The other Shinobi Shamans were gathered around the table as well, including her mother and father.

"Our numbers are too small," a short man yelled.

"Their defenses are weak," a woman argued. "Now is the perfect time."

Ji held up his hand. "Please, bickering amongst ourselves is not going to help us defeat the Dragon Lord."

Zhen gave her father a relieved smile and pointed to a narrow valley where a red line was drawn. "This is the path they will be taking here. Here is the most vulnerable spot. The cliffs are high and there is a cave there we can use. It can be easily blocked."

Lien nodded. "The first group, led by myself, will create a rock slide here," she pointed to a spot along the red line, "just ahead of the cave."

"Then," Zhen said, "my group will corner them into the cave where we can force them into the portal."

"They'll resist," the short man spoke up again.

"What choice do we have?" Lien spoke calmly. "Do you wish to return to your home and watch the dragons ravage our country?"

The small man took his seat and said no more.

***

"Hitoshi, I have a bad feeling about this."

Hitoshi shushed his brother without breaking pace. "I've had enough of your bad feelings."

"But the Shinobi are going to attack," Jiro hissed.

"Father knows what he's doing. He hasn't kept the crown for twenty seven years just to lose it now."

***

"Stand your ground!" Dragon Lord commanded his soldiers.

His Rank had the advantage of numbers, but the Shinobi had a better point of attack. Their magick seemed to be pushing them back into a cave.

"Now!"

He looked at the one who had shouted. An older woman he recognized. "Lien!" he shouted. "You will join your father in death!"

"And you will join your mate!"

Dragon Lord watched in horror as his soldiers began disappearing. "Stay away for the wall!"

His soldiers kept disappearing as the Shinobi forced them back. Now there was only a handful with the Dragon Lord, including his son Hitoshi.

Zhen stood before the Dragon Lord. "You killed my grandfather."

"He murdered my mate!"

"And countless other humans," she continued. "Therefore, you are banished from this world."

Dragon Lord refused to bow to this girl. "I will return and have my revenge on your families."

"And we will banish you again if need be," Zhen hissed.

"We will not fall to you!" Hitoshi rushed forward and was thrown back into his fellow soldiers, pushing them into the wall-portal. Now the Dragon Lord was alone. He glared at the mystics before stepping into the portal.

Lien pressed her hand against the rock face and it changed into a mirror. Two large men threw a sheet over it and carried it from the cave.

"What do we do with it?" Zhen asked.

"My brother will take it to his temple," her mother answered. "He will watch over it, and will pass the task to future generations."

Ji sighed. "I only wish this would end it all. Unfortunately, the effects of the Dragon Lord's actions cannot be so easily abolished."

***

Ji carried his aging wife in his arms as he and his family fled from their home. Zhen glanced over her shoulder. "They're not following us."

Ji stopped. "Damn Dragon Lord. How can one dragon cause so much damage ever after he is gone?"

Zhen wiped the tears from her eyes. "Where can we go? We can't take mother to the astral realms and Atlantis has been sunk."

Ji shook his head. "We must keep moving west. They were not as effected by the Dragon Lord's actions so we may be able to hide."


	7. The Pact

Origins: The Pact 

*** 

_"Yes, Chung I, I will do as you say. I will go to America."_

*** 

Mei Pieh sat next to her father's grave, tears blurring the scene. He loving father, taken from this world so violently. It was so unfair. 

She finally stood. "Goodbye Father. I will do my best to avenge your death." 

She went home and gathered up everything she thought she would need. It was painful, packing things up like this, as if she'd never return. 

_knock knock_

Mei Pieh froze, keeping a tight grip on her satchel. The knocking continued. 

"Chung I, are you home?" 

Howin, a friend of her father. She'd met him before, in disguise, as she had many of her father's closest friends. Very few of them knew what she truly was, and Howin was not one of them. She considered just staying quiet until he left, but then the door started to open. 

She quickly ran to the door and pushed it closed. She winced as she heard Howin stumble back and fall, and hoped he was all right. 

"Howin," she said cautiously, keeping the door jammed shut. 

"Mei Pieh, I must speak with your father, it is important." 

Mei Pieh bit her bottom lip. "He's... passed away." She tried hard to keep herself from sobbing. On the other side of the door there was only silence. 

"I'm sorry," Howin finally said. "When?" 

"Last night." She lied, "in his sleep." 

After a minute she heard Howin leaving. She sank to her knees and cried, letting out all the pain and anguish she felt. _How am I supposed to do this? I've never been without my father. How on Earth am I supposed to stop the dragons all by myself?_

Then she remembered. Her father had told her to go to America and find Splinter's students. They would help her. She thought of Splinter being trapped in the Realm of Dreams, of the innocent people that would be slaughtered if the dragons were freed. She realized she had no choice. 

Mei Pieh stood up and wiped her eyes dry. She made up her mind. She was going to America. She had to at least try. 

As soon as the entire task at hand sank in, Mei Pieh slumped down into a chair. 

_How am I going to get all the way to America?_

*** 

Pulling her cloak tight, Mei Pieh made her way along the docks. She had come to the conclusion that traveling by boat was her best bet of getting to her destination at all. A plane would be faster, but much harder to sneak aboard. 

"Now, to find a ship going to America," she muttered. 

"Can I help you?" 

Mei Pieh turned to see who had addressed her, hoping they had been speaking to someone else. No, no mistake, she came face to face with a beautiful Chinese girl about her age. Her smooth white skin stood out against her black dress. Her black hair shaded her eyes, and fell back in twin braids. 

"Umm..." _Might as well get some help if I can._ "I'm looking for a boat to America. Manhattan if I can find one." 

"That could take weeks, little girl. You don't have that kind of time." 

"Well, I..." _What?_

The girl grabbed Mei Pieh's wrist and pulled her into a dark alleyway. She covered Mei Pieh's mouth with her hand and brought her face close. 

"I can get you there much faster, Shinobi," she whispered. 

Mei Pieh squirmed in the girl's strong grip. How could this girl know who she was? She tried to scream but it came out muffled. 

The girl removed her hand but held Mei Pieh in place against the wall. 

Mei Pieh took a deep breath. She wanted to get out of here as soon as possible. This girl was giving her a bad feeling, and wasting her time. Still... 

"How?" 

The girl smiled seductively. "I am Xin. I can take you right where you want to go." She ran her fingers along the edge of Mei Pieh's cloak. "If that's _really _where you wan to go?" She pushed aside her hair to reveal an eye of pure black. No white, just a black so dark it seemed to absorb all the light in the area. 

Mei Pieh gasped, then gritted her teeth. "Demon...let me go!" She broke free of Xin's grasp and ran as fast as she could. 

"If you want to get there in time to save them," Xin called out, "You'll need my help." 

Mei Pieh stopped at the edge of the shadows. She could either run or stay. Running would get her away from the demon, but back to where she had started. 

If she stayed, then she'd have to deal with Xin, one way or another. She could always destroy the demon, but that would leave her drained and defenseless and also back where she started. Stuck in Shanghai with no way to leave. 

She turned to face Xin. "All right." 

Xin let out a little giggle and beckoned Mei Pieh over to her. She grabbed the Shinobi by the shoulders. "Just close your eyes, little girl, this won't hurt." 

Mei Pieh did as she was told, well aware the risks involved. Asking a demon for help was often more trouble than it was worth, but this was important. She felt a feather light pressure against her lips and was overcome with a wave of dizziness. She fell back and hit her shell against something. 

She opened her eyes to see a complete change of scenery. Gone was the alleyway and docks of Shanghai. She was in a large structure, at the top of a flight of stairs. She looked behind her to see that she had backed into a metal ladder leading up. 

"Where am I?" she whispered. 

Xin appeared beside her, a little too close for comfort. "Where you wanted to be. At the home of Splinter and his sons." 

Mei Pieh nodded, then asked the question she dreaded. "And in return?" 

Xin smiled. "All in good time, little girl." 

Then she was gone, leaving Mei Pieh with an uneasy feeling. 

*** 

Chapter eight 

Origins index 


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